New Interactive iPad Storybook For Middle Grade Readers

Midnight Feast is a modern tale with a painterly art style designed to make best use of the iPad’s retina display. Forty-four pages of story encourage readers age 9 and above to consider themes of drought, food insecurity, and inequality. Author-illustrator Lynley Stace wrote this darker-than-average picture book to be enjoyed on several levels, with comprehension commensurate with age.

Along with their first storybook app, The Artifacts (2011), Midnight Feast emulates a traditional book with user-initiated page turns, while at the same time making use of new technologies. Non-signposted interactive hotspots are designed to encourage self-paced, exploratory reading and visual literacy. Interactions exist to further the plot, reveal character and support themes. Supernatural interactions can be de-activated via the options page.

Close reading notes for adult co-readers and teachers are available for free on Slap Happy Larry’s website, and can be accessed from inside the app.

Midnight Feast is an international collaboration. Lynley Stace (writer/illustrator) is an Australian resident from New Zealand. The app was coded and optimised by Australian senior programmer, Daniel Hare. The main story is narrated by American Matthias Bossi. An original soundtrack was composed by New Zealand musician and composer Chris Hurn.

Slap Happy Larry is an independent Australian based company established 2011. Our first app is The Artifacts, an interactive storybook for middle grade children. Copyright (C) 2011-2013 Slap Happy Larry. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, iPod touch, and Mac are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.